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1968.5 Reproduction Starter Delays

GTCSMustang

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 16, 2003
Messages
719
I know that there aren't many 428 HCS and GT/CSs, but for those of you that have one I have reproduced a part that has been nearly impossible to get. After nearly a year, the 1968 Shelby and Mustang starter delays are finally finished. Below is information on the delays component-by-component. They are 100% functional and exact copies of the original production line starter delays. No corners have been cut in components, materials, fabrication, or functionality. Every component was custom made to exactly match the original production line starter delays. Many of the components were made 2 and 3 times to get them exactly right, and that is why it took a year to make them. If you have any questions or comments you can e-mail me at calfulfam@aol.com.

I HAVE A LIMITED NUMBER. Some are already spoken for, some are promised to people, and I’m keeping several for myself. The others are being sold to try to recoup the cost of fabrication.

Background: There are at least 3-variations of starter delays. Original assembly line units (the ones that came on cars from the factory), over-the-counter service replacements (came in a Ford service box) available from the Ford dealer, and a later unit that has been rumored to be a reproduction, but is more likely a later service unit (did not come in Ford packaging). Each variant has differences. Different gaskets, grommets, wire leads, electronics, tooling marks, and others. The unit I am selling is faithful to the assembly line units and retains the characteristics of the starter delays that came on the cars “as delivered” from Ford, not the later over-the-counter units.

Starter Delay Details

Caps: The caps are dimensionally and physically exactly the same as the original caps and indistinguishable from the original units. They are fabricated with the same deep-drawn process as the originals, right down to the draw marks on the sides.

Gaskets: The gaskets are made from the same black sponge rubber material as the originals. Same thickness and pattern. Exactly the same as the originals. I used an original starter delay gasket as a pattern and had a professional gasket company make tooling for stamping them out. This is NOT some guy sitting around with a pair of scissors. The cork gaskets on some starter delays were never used on the production-line units, but were used on the third starter delay example described above.

Cap Screws: All starter delays (all three variants) have cap screws with a “C” marking on the head. Screws with this head marking no longer exist, so I had tooling made and screws fabricated to exactly match the original screws.

“L” Bracket: This is not a trivial part to make. As I learned, this is not a “one-hit” process. There is a blank that needs to be made, holes that need to be punched, a 90-degree bend around a radius, reinforcing ribs that go in two different directions, and a part number stamped on the back side. The reproduction part is true to the original in every detail. Nothing is laser cut. It is all stamped like the originals.

Electronics: Completely functional. Same 4-to-5 second delay as the originals. All units are tested twice. Prior to final assembly, and after final assembly.

Lead Wire: The lead wire is made up of 3-components; the elbow, the grommet, and the wire itself. The lead wires on the original production-line starter delays are always a red wire with a single thin dark blue stripe. The lead wire on the service starter delays is red with a much wider light blue stripe in a spiral orientation (not lengthwise like the production-line version). I opted to use the production-line type wire with the lengthwise stripe, not the service type with the spiral stripe. No correct wire with the dark blue stripe exists, so I had 25,000-feet of wire made that exactly matches the original wire.

Lead Wire Elbow: No perfect matches to the original rubber elbows exist. The starter delay elbow is slightly different than the elbows used that connect to the starter solenoid and coil. A mold was made of an original starter delay elbow. That was the only way to guarantee the reproduction elbows would be exactly the same as the originals. And they are.

Lead Wire Grommet: The same problem exists with the grommet, as with the elbow. No perfect matches to the original grommet exist. A mold was made of an original grommet. That was the only way to guarantee the reproduction grommet would be exactly the same as the originals. And they are.

Plating: The cap and “L” bracket are each plated the same as the originals, and are not plated the same. That is why the cap and bracket look different. The plating is new now but will age with time.

Cap Stamp and Inspection Stamps: I have never seen any inspection stamps or markings on the cap or “L” bracket of any original assembly line starter delays. However, markings are visible on all service starter delays (described earlier as variant 2). The markings also show up on some of the third starter delay variants, but it is unclear as to whether they were added at the time of manufacture or at a later date. My delays are available either with or without the markings.

Summary

The starter delays offered here are exact duplicates of the originals and are completely functional. No corners have been cut in components, materials, fabrication, or functionality. Every component was custom made to exactly match the original production line starter delays. Many of the components were made 2 and 3 times to get them exactly right. And that is why it took a year to make them and that is why…

The price is $1,485 + shipping.

Email me at calfulfam@aol.com with any questions or for your order.
 

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